Melissa’s first tip is ______. [originaltext]Carlos: OK, everyone. Let’s look a

Carlos: OK, everyone. Let’s look at what presentation tips we have come up with for our next seminar. Melissa?
Melissa: OK, here’s my first tip. Show up early. Some experienced presenters     Q21
      senters say that something good is bound to happen! I’m not
      sure about that, but ...
David: Well, ... you may have a chance to head off some technical problem. Also, at the beginning, before you actually begin your presentation, people filter in slowly. It’s a great time to introduce yourself.
Melissa: Can’t argue with that! Simona had some ideas about opening.
Simona: Have a strong opening. I picked up a few ideas for structuring
      your opening. First, never apologise. If you’re worried the             Q22
      presentation won’t go well, keep it to yourself and give it your
      best shot. Besides, people are usually too preoccupied with
      their own problems to notice yours.
Carlos: I like that!
Simona: Open by addressing the following three questions: What’s the problem? Who cares? What’s your solution?
Carlos: Excellent suggestion! David? You’ve gone quiet!
David: Well, my next suggestion is PGP. That means that with every                   Q23
     subtopic, you should move from the Particular to the General
     and back to the Particular. Even though the purpose of a subtopic
     is to convey the general information, bracing it with parficulars
     is a good way to draw attention and promote retention.               Q24
Melissa: I’ve got another one. This might not be a tip so much as a law. Give everyone at least one piece of paper. A piece of paper is a record from your presentation. People can use that to help recall the details of the presentation, or better yet to tell others about it.
Carlos: The next tip that I have is know your audience. This is, of              Q25
       course, a general piece of advice for public speaking. See if
      you can find out what styles of information presentation they
      are most familiar and comfortable with. Adapting your presentation
      to those styles will leave fewer barriers to the direct
      communication of your material.
Simona: I like that idea. We mentioned possible technical problems before.
      My next point is that maybe speakers should rethink the
      overhead projector. Is one really necessary?                          Q26
David: I think that often it is, but I agree with your basic point, Simona. Don’t use one just because it’s there. Maybe a good tip is to consider carefully what you are putting on your slides.
Simona: Yes, David, that’s a very good point to make. Slide content is ... well, you don’t want too much ... too little. Carlos?
Carlos: Good points, both of you. Another point I have is respect the audience. Don’t condescend by "dumbing down" your lecture. Show them respect by saying what you believe and what you know to be the whole story.
Melissa: I also have a point about humour. I think that humour is generally good,
       but be careful with it. Humour in a presentation
       works best when it actually drives the presentation forward. If                Q27
       you find you’re using canned jokes that don’t depend on the
       context of the presentation, eliminate them. David?
David: Maybe, Melissa, but always be very careful about jokes that put down a class of people. If you’re going to alienate your audience, do it on the merits of your content.
Simona: Also, avoid masculine—or even feminine—pronouns as universals.  It can be a nuisance to half the audience, As universals, use the plural "they". The Oxford English Dictionary has allowed "they" as a gender neutral singular pronoun for years.
Carlos: Thanks, Simona. Thinking towards the end. Take care with
      questions. Many people judge the quality of your talk not by                  Q28
      the twenty minutes of presentation, but on the thirty seconds
      you spend answering their question. Be sure to allow long
      pauses for questions. Ten seconds may seem like a long pause
      when you’re at the front of the room, but it flows naturally
      from the audience’s point of view.
Simona: Let people know you believe your material. Speak with conviction.  Believing your subject matter is one of the best ways to speak more effectively!
Melissa: Finish early, and something good is almost bound to happen.             Q29
     If nothing else, people will be able to leave early, and suddenly
     they’ll have an extra couple of minutes to do things they didn’t
     think they’d get to. People will really like you if you do that.
David: I think we have missed a key point. Practice! Practice over and over and over. If you can, record your presentation. Play it back and watch yourself. You’ll discover a thousand horrible
things you never knew about yourself. Now watch it again without the sound. Why are your hands flying around like that? Now listen to it without the picture. Get rid of those ums!  Now watch it at twice the normal speed. This emphasises lowfrequencyfrequency cycles in your gestures.
Carlos: David, those were excellent points! I have one more. Something
      quite simple, but often overlooked. I read that the two
      most dehydrating things you can do in modem civilization are
      live presentations and air travel. I don’t know if it’s really true,
      but the message is that the way to stay sharp is to drink lots of                Q30
      water. Take care of your body, especially your voice. If possible, avoid alcohol too.
Melissa: So, we’ve got to organise these points now ...